Increased activity of the mg2+/na+ exchanger in red blood cells from essential hypertensive patients

Abstract

Epidemiological, clinical, and experimental evidence suggests a relation between Mg2+ metabolism and essential hypertension. The aim of the present study was the detection of abnormalities of the erythrocyte Mg2+/Na+ exchanger in essential hypertensive patients. We studied 66 untreated essential hypertensive patients and 36 normotensive control subjects. Maximal efflux rates of total Mg2+ efflux and the Na+-dependent and Na+-independent components of Mg2+ efflux were determined in Mg2+-loaded red blood cells. Mg2+/Na+ exchanger was calculated as the Na+-dependent component of the Mg2+ efflux. Mean values of Mg2+ /Na+ exchanger were clearly elevated in hypertensive subjects with respect to normotensive control subjects [184.7±15.7 versus 84.4±6 µmol(L-cell·h)-1; P